Softball

No. 11 Arkansas Travels to No. 25 Auburn for Three-Game Series

Jacob Pavilack
Jacob Pavilack March 31, 2021
Game Notes

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The SEC’s only unbeaten team in league play, the No. 11 Arkansas softball team (28-3, 9-0 SEC) travels to No. 25 Auburn (19-8, 1-5 SEC) for a three-game conference series beginning on Thursday, April 1 and continuing through Saturday, April 3. Thursday’s game will air on SEC Network+ while both Friday and Saturday’s games will air on SEC Network.

Thursday, April 1 – 5 p.m. – at Auburn – Watch – Live Stats
Friday, April 2 – 12 p.m. – at Auburn – Watch – Live Stats
Saturday, April 3 – 1 p.m. – at Auburn – Watch – Live Stats

Last Time Out

Arkansas swept its third SEC series of the season, sweeping Mississippi State at Bogle Park. Linnie Malkin was crucial to the team’s success, filling in at first base and hitting .444/.500/1.111 for the series with two homers and three RBI. On Friday, she hit a two-run homer, one of Arkansas’ two hits on the day, in a 2-0 win. Outfielder Sam Torres also had an impressive weekend, hitting .444/.545./.444 and led the team in on base percentage. Mary Haff picked up a pair of wins and a save inside the circle and logged a 1.47 ERA over 14.1 innings pitched. She struck out 15 and held the opposition to a .160 batting average. On Friday, Head Coach Courtney Deifel recorded win No. 200 in her seven seasons as a collegiate head coach.

First Timers

After sweeping Mississippi State last weekend, the Razorbacks are 9-0 in SEC play for the first time in program history. Previously, the best start to conference action was a 5-0 mark in 2009. The Razorbacks nine-game SEC win streak is also the longest in school history.

Bogle Bombers

The Razorbacks have been on a power surge this season, totaling 61 home runs to lead the SEC and rank second nationally. Burnside leads the team with 17 homers, which leads the SEC and ranks second in the country behind Oklahoma’s Jocelyn Alo (21). Malkin has added 12 homers, second-best in the SEC and seventh nationally. Infielder Danielle Gibson has hit 10 homers to rank sixth in the SEC and 19 nationally. The Razorbacks are one of two teams in the country (Oklahoma) that have three or more players with 10 or more homers. Infielder Keely Huffine has hit five total homers, including four from the nine-spot in the order.

Brax Bombs

Burnside’s 17 home runs this season are already tied for the most in a single season in program history. She tied the record by hitting a crucial two-run bomb against Mississippi State last Sunday. The Paragould, Ark. native is currently tied with Nicole Schroeder (2017) for the program’s top single-season mark.

One of a Kind

Gibson leads the country hitting 14 doubles this season and also ranks 11th nationally smashing 10 home runs. The first baseman is the only player in the country to hit at least 10 doubles and 10 homers this season. Gibson leads the team hitting .429 and is hitting .522 with five doubles during SEC play.

Haff Named SEC Pitcher of the Week

Pitcher Mary Haff recorded three wins and a save to help her team earn the series sweep over Mississippi State and remain undefeated in league play. Haff opened the week hurling nine strikeouts over 6.0 innings in a win at Kansas. In game one against the Bulldogs, she threw 5.2 scoreless innings and struck out four. Haff then earned the save in game two, striking out two batters in 1.2 innings of work. She closed out the weekend with nine strikeouts in the complete-game victory as the Razorbacks moved to 9-0 in SEC play for the first time in program history. The Razorbacks won a weekly league award in three straight weeks.

#HogHits

  • Haff leads the nation with 17 wins and ranks ninth in strikeouts (133). Haff’s career ERA of 1.55 is currently the best mark in program history.
  • Three weekends ago, Arkansas swept No. 20 South Carolina on the road, recording its first road SEC series sweep since 2009 against Mississippi State.
  • In addition to ranking second in the country in homers, the Razorbacks also rank third in walks, drawing 122.
  • Arkansas ended a 19-game win streak on Tuesday, March 16, which was the longest in program history. It bested the prior record of 12 set by the 1999 and 2008 teams and was the only one of the three streaks to encompass a conference series sweep. Overall, the Razorbacks have won 27 of their last 28 games.
  • The Razorbacks are off to their best start in program history over the season’s first 31 games. All three of the program’s best starts through 31 games have occurred under Head Coach Courtney Deifel (2018, 25-6; 2017, 22-9).
  • Arkansas climbed four spots to No. 11 in the ESPN/USA Softball Poll, tying its highest ranking in program history.

Opposition Position

Auburn (19-8, 1-5 SEC) is coming off a three-game series at No. 18 Missouri, in which it won the series finale, 3-0. The Tigers were swept at home in their first league series of the year by then-No. 4 Alabama. Makenna Dowell leads the team hitting .355 and has driven in 13 runs. Pitcher Shelby Lowe leads the team with an 8-2 record, a 0.74 ERA, 75.2 innings pitched and 99 strikeouts. The Tigers lead the all-time series against Arkansas, 38-28, but the Razorbacks have won the last three games and four of the last five.

Up Next

Arkansas hosts Missouri State for a non-conference matchup at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, April 6.

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